Acts 1:26 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

And they gave forth their lots That is, saith Grotius, they put two lots into two urns, the one containing the two names of Joseph and Matthias, the other a blank and the word apostle: and then drawing forth the name of Joseph and the blank, they knew that the lot containing the name of an apostle belonged to Matthias. This being in answer to their prayers, they concluded that Matthias was the man whom the Lord had chosen to the apostleship. The honour God had conferred on inquiries by lot, (Joshua 7:14-15; 1 Samuel 10:20-21,) and the custom of fixing the offices of the priests in the temple, while in waiting there, by lot, (1 Chronicles 24:5; Luke 1:9,) might lead them to take this method of knowing the will of God. Here, therefore, commenced in the Christian Church the proper use of the lot, whereby a matter of importance, which cannot be determined by any ordinary method, is committed to the divine decision. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles The rest of the apostles gave him the right hand of fellowship, so that for the future he made the twelfth of that venerable society of men.